A Christmas secret
by MoniqueD
Summary: A late night visit has Alexis seeing and hearing things. Can she trust her overactive imagination?  A short and sweet one-shot of good cheer.  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!


Something woke me up. Dad, downstairs. The interrupted dream was still crystal clear in my head, so I clung to those lovely visions of Ashley for a few more seconds. It was funny how dreams worked. _Thud._ Dad was finally home from wherever, stumbling around the place and not even trying to be quiet. It was bad enough that he had gone out on Christmas Eve, but now he would sleep in and make us wait on Christmas morning. _Thump__._ Things were starting to go bump in the night around here, and I needed to find out what the commotion was all about. Dad doesn't know it, but noise from the main level travels upwards shockingly efficiently, and he'd blush if I told him the conversations I've overheard up here in my little bedroom. _Whump._ Yup, something was going on, and as usual, my curiosity got the better of me.

I placed my bare feet carefully onto the floor, and, quiet as a mouse, scurried across the room and flattened myself against the door frame. Decidedly feminine giggles rolled up to my ear, followed by a generic sshhh, then silence. Who was with him, and why would he bring a woman home on Christmas Eve? I needed voices, but got nothing. I'd have to risk exposure or this whole mission was a bust, so I inched my way out and peered over the railing. Awesome! The sight downstairs took my breath away. Not trusting my eyes, I rubbed them until they stung, but nothing changed. Below me in the living room, our Christmas tree was alive with twinkling lights, the fireplace was blazing hot and Santa Claus himself was unpacking his sack of goodies. Red suit, white fur, black belt, red hat. Yup, it was Santa. A tall woman in blue jeans and a white t-shirt was yanking on his beard and making him laugh. She was turned away from me so I couldn't see her face, but I noticed that both of them were bare-foot. So weird. I rubbed my eyes again, pretty sure that I must be sleep-walking, but then again, how would I even know? I switched on my bionic ears and waited for the voices to reveal themselves.

"You are a naughty Santa," I heard the woman say.

"Just the way you like me. Has my Kitty Kate been a good girl?"

"Yes Santa, very good. Do you have something nice for me?"

"Ho, ho, ho! Yes, indeed, I have a big package for you, my sweet."

"Oh, I can hardly wait."

No way. I closed my eyes, counted to 5, and when I opened them again, Santa and the woman were kissing under the mistletoe. I smiled. They parted but stayed very close, and I held my breath and listened intently to the murmurs from below.

"I am your gift tonight."

"And I am yours, my love."

I almost missed those whispered, loving words, but they drifted to me faithfully and I scooped them up and held them against my heart. Santa lifted the woman into his arms and carried her towards dad's bedroom. She looked up at that moment, and our eyes met across the distance. We both smiled, and I placed my finger against my lips, wanting her to know that their secret was safe with me. She nodded but was buried in velvet and fur as Santa leaned over to kiss her. The bedroom door closed softly behind them and the scene was over. My face was burning with both excitement and embarrassment as I glided down the stairs to switch off the tree lights and fireplace. The milk and cookies were gone, and I couldn't stop myself from peeking at the gifts that Santa had just delivered. The wrappings were sparkly and beautiful, and it didn't matter what was inside the boxes and bags, because these gifts had been touched by real magic tonight. I was practically floating in glee by the time I bounced back into my bed. Wow, it really was the night before Christmas, and it was true that not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. In our house. Except for Santa and his Kitty Kate. And me. I giggled nonstop into my pillow until my ribs hurt, and when I couldn't laugh any more, I rolled over and thought about Christmas morning just a few hours away. We would all sleep in, of course, but I would be the first up to make waffles with whipped cream, dad's favorite. Kate would like the gift I had chosen for her. I giggled again. Our little Christmas secret, and what a delicious one it was. Best Christmas ever.


End file.
